A HEARTFELT vigil is taking place tonight (Wednesday) in Loughborough town centre with the release of dozens of Chinese lanterns to remember a young homeless man who died.

It follows one held last night (Tuesday) at 7pm when around 20 people gathered outside the bench in Market Place where Adam Thompson, aged 25, died in the early hours of Sunday, February 1.

Close friend Kevin Waldrum, of Gladstone Avenue, Loughborough, has planned another vigil tonight (Wednesday). It will be held at the bench at the same time.

He told the Echo: “Last night, there was about 15 to 20 people and lots of people standing outside McDonald’s.

“They all knew him and had said ‘hello’ to him or had bought him cups of tea.

“We let lots of Chinese lanterns off.

“‘You need to go to heaven now Adam’, I said in my own thoughts, ‘you will be happily there.’”

“There must have been about a thousand people who went to see the flowers on the bench yesterday.

“We want to get a plaque from the council to put in the centre of town, where he died, so he can be remembered.”

A manager at a residential rehabilitation centre says there is “evidence of a problem in Loughborough” following the death of a homeless man in the town centre.

Adam Thompson, aged 25, died just metres from McDonald’s in Loughborough's Market Place in the early hours of Sunday morning, February 1.

Richard Spence is one the managers for the Carpenters Arms, a residential rehabilitation centre in Loughborough for men challenged by drug and alcohol addiction.

He told the Echo: “We are very sad that homelessness is around and does take its toll in the winter months and we wish there was more we could do to help them.

“Unfortunately, they find that housing is not available or they do not want to be housed.

“We certainly provide drug and alcohol services for homeless men so there is places like us around the county but there is not enough of them and we have a waiting list here and we are just one centre.

“There is evidence of a problem in Loughborough. The council do seem proactive in tackling it.”

When asked what could have been done to help Adam, Mr Spence said: “Some guys want to live on the streets and do not have a choice because of their substance issues. Getting people out of that cycle is very difficult.”

It is understood Adam had been battling with drink problems and was known to the police, council, and homeless charity The Exaireo Trust in Granby Street.

In the early hours of Sunday, February 1, he had been in McDonald’s with friends before making his way to the bench in the new pedestrianised town centre.

At around 3am, friends said he fell off the bench, an ambulance was called, but he died before he arrived at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Police are not treating the incident as suspicious.